Papers by Matthew Alexander
In August, 2012 NASA announced that Voyager I had traveled outside our solar system, which NASA c... more In August, 2012 NASA announced that Voyager I had traveled outside our solar system, which NASA confirmed in subsequent months. Voyager I is thus the first man-made object that has traveled beyond the heliosphere, making it the first probe to go interstellar. If consistent milestones like this continue, our ability for human deep spaceflight is inevitably possible. From the first dugout canoes to the modern supertanker, humanity’s goal has always been to go farther, faster. The retirement of the NASA Space Shuttle is but an opportunity for mankind’s next step toward an interstellar spacecraft. Increasingly, researchers are providing credible suggestions which focus on a proposal for on interstellar travel. Naysayers often seem to forget the many decades of successful research and development, along with countless firsts and feats of accomplished through manned spaceflight. It is on the shoulders of those early pioneers upon which we stand. These lessons have led us to a burgeoning capability to produce advanced space transportation systems. Interstellar travel may become as real as iPads at our finger-tips and smart phones capable of video chat anywhere in the world — something once only envisioned in science fiction. Results from the Swift, Chandra, WMAP, Hubble, Kepler and the VLA Space Telescopes, as well as many other scientific and technological discoveries, are making it possible to move forward to explore our universe in new ways.
Why is this important?
The development of outer space holds the promise of a role for each person to achieve his/her maximum potential. Discourses and ideologies are forming around the notion of interstellar travel. So, who says interstellar travel is impossible? Some of the best and brightest minds are working on the developing interstellar capabilities. This paper will identify and discuss existing strategies, from a wide range of thinkers and options with the goal of long term, interstellar missions. It will also present technological, political, ideological, social, institutional and cultural key steps towards enabling advanced stages of readiness for deep space missions.
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Papers by Matthew Alexander
Why is this important?
The development of outer space holds the promise of a role for each person to achieve his/her maximum potential. Discourses and ideologies are forming around the notion of interstellar travel. So, who says interstellar travel is impossible? Some of the best and brightest minds are working on the developing interstellar capabilities. This paper will identify and discuss existing strategies, from a wide range of thinkers and options with the goal of long term, interstellar missions. It will also present technological, political, ideological, social, institutional and cultural key steps towards enabling advanced stages of readiness for deep space missions.
Why is this important?
The development of outer space holds the promise of a role for each person to achieve his/her maximum potential. Discourses and ideologies are forming around the notion of interstellar travel. So, who says interstellar travel is impossible? Some of the best and brightest minds are working on the developing interstellar capabilities. This paper will identify and discuss existing strategies, from a wide range of thinkers and options with the goal of long term, interstellar missions. It will also present technological, political, ideological, social, institutional and cultural key steps towards enabling advanced stages of readiness for deep space missions.